Signal.



F. E. FANGER.

SIGNAL.

APPLl CATlON FILED NOV. 14. NH].

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

1,290, 2 H E HELII INVENTOR Hedi. finger A TTORNE Y8 F. E. FANGER.

SIGNAL.

, APPLICATION FILED NOV. I4. 19H. N 1 290,728. Patented Jan. I, 1919.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

I i I INVENTOR fi J; 5124f. fZn er 14 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES FREDEDWARD FANGER, or MEXICO, Mexico.

SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

Application filed November 14, 1917. Serial No. 201,971.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED EDWARD FANGER, acitizen of the United States,and a resident of Mexico, D. F., Republic of Mexico, have invented a newand Improved Signal. of which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description.

My invention relates to a signal for use on automobiles and othervehicles, and more particularly it relates to a signal in whlchresilient clappers or tongues are flexed by a rotor and by theirre-action against co-acting elements, produce a clacking nolse.

An object of the invention is to prov de an audible signal ascharacterized hav ng effective sound-producing attributes and improvedin various particulars having regard for convenience and facility inproduc ng, assembling and installing the parts.

An important object also is to provide a signal of a construction tocoordinate the sound-producing elements with a v1sual signal.

More specifically the invention has for an object to provide acoordinated electrically driven audible and visual signal with anelectrically illuminated horn without complicating the construction.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of thisspecification in whlch similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, it being understood that thedrawmgs are merely illustrative of particular examples of the invention.I

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertlcal section of an automobile hornequipped with my invention, the section being taken on the line '1-1,Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation with a part broken away;

Fi 3 is a transverse vertical section on the llne 3--3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspectlve view of a sound box employed with series ofclappers;

Fig. 5 is a view similar Fig. 1, but lllustrating a constructionomlttlng1 the reflector, the section being taken on t e line 5-5, Fi 6'Fig 6 is a transverse vertical section on the line 6-6, Fig. 5.

Referrin more particularly to the construction il ustrated in Figs. 1 to4, the horn is in the form of a casing 10, the forward end of whichflares to constitute a resonator and the rear end 11 of whichconstitutes a housing for the motor 12 which usually will be an electricmotor, the numeral 13 indicating conductor wires leading to the motorand to electric lamps hereinafter referred to.

Extending longitudinally in the casing 10 is a shaft 15 driven byanysuitable drive connection from the motor 12, there bein indicated agear train 14. On the shaft 15 between the housing 11 and the flaringfront end, there is keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft a rotor 16which advantageously is triangular or approximately so in cross section,and is formed in each face thereof adjacent to the angles withlongitudinal grooves 17 thereby producing at each angle a longitudinalrib or elongated tooth 18. Within the casing 10 I arrange about therotor 16 a series of clappers. 19 presenting free ends lying in the pathof rotation of the ribs 18, the clappers being preferably of wood andhaving a resiliency to be flexed by the successive ribs 18. With thetriangular rotor I am enabled to advantageously employ four series ofclappers 19, there being a plurality of clappers, three or morepreferably in each series. The clappers in each series may be varied asto dimensions or mass to vary their sound-producing properties.

Each clapper is secured adjacent to one end as by screws 21 to soundboxes 20, the sound boxes having a solid portion 22 formed with screwholes 23 for the purpose mentioned. The wall of each sound box adjacentto the rotor 16 presents an edge portion contacting with the adjacentclapper 19 against which said clapper is adapted to contact a shortdistance from the end of the clapper, the arrangement being such thatthe projecting ends of the clappers beyond the sound box will be engagedby the teeth 18 for flexing the clappers and permitting the clappers tohave perfect clearance after their actuating teeth have passed forre-acting against the edge of the wall of the sound -box, therebyproducing a clack by each clapper striking its sound box with eachengagement of a tooth 18. The sound box 20 contributes materially to theproduction of the sound due to the re-action of the clappersthereagainst, and said box is formed with openings therein establishingcommunication between. the interior of the sound box and the horn, therebeing indicated holes 24 (Fig. 4) in the face of the box and holes 25 ina side thereof, it being understood that the holes will be properlylocated and in suitable number.

The numeral 26 includes electric lamp bulbs, the sockets 27 of which aresecured toreflector 27 and the inner surface of the horn.

I provide a visual signal 32 secured to the shaft 15 to turn therewith,said signal be ing disposed in front of the glass or lens 28.

The form of the revolving signal 32 may vary inpractice, the illustratedform representing a section of a disk secured at its center to the shaft15 to present revolving arms at the opposite sides of the shaft. Thesaid arms extend adjacent to the periphery of the horn and on the latterat the front edge is formed an annular flange 33 directed radiallyinward or approximately so, the flange serving to act as a guard orshield for the ends of the revolving signal arms. In the flange 33 anannular series of openings 34 is formed in register or approximately sowith the openings 31 for the free escape of the sound.

In the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the reflector is not employed, theparts being otherwise the same or substantially the same as in the firstdescribed construction. The horn 10 constitutes a housing for theaudible and visual signal elements and their drive means as well as forlamps 26. The rotor 16 is the same but the shape of the horn is somewhatchanged, the housing 11 at the rear for the motor 12 and gearing 14being of a form to adapt the horn for mounting at the rear of a vehicle,the first described construction being for the front. The clappers 19*are somewhat longer and the sound boxes 20 proportionately larger. Itwill be seen that the frame 29 with the spokes 30 and openings 31correspond with the first described construction as well as the visualsignal 32and the flange 33 with the openings 34.

In the first described construction on the front horn a revoluble signalelement 32 may be red as indicated or other color to contrast with theglass or other transpicuous front 28 and with the reflector, while onthe back of the vehicle the signal may be white to show clearly bydaylight against the red glass of the 'rear light and against the redlight by night. The rear lamp in practice will have a side opening tothrow the light on the number plate or the like, there being indicatedan opening 35 having a lens36. By the described construction the rotor16 will be turned with the shaft 15 to cause the teeth 18 in quicksuccession to engage the successive series of clappers 19, each seriesof clappers re-acting against the'adjacent sound box. The sound producedpasses forwardly about the'edge of the glass through the openings 31,34. The construction, it will be seen, coordinates the visual andaudible signals in a simple construction and specifically thecorrelation between the clappers 19 and the sound box 20 serves toproduce effective signal sounds.

I wish to state in conclusion that although the illustrated examplesconstitute practical embodiments of my invention, I do not limit myselfstrictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestlythe same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A signal of the class described including a horn havingsound-producing means therein, light-producing means in the horn, afront of transpicuous material in said horn, a revoluble signal disposedin front of the said transpicuous material, drive means for said signal,and an inwardly directed annular flange on the horn in front of the saidsignal and outer edge of the latter to constitute a guard for the same,there being' openings for the forward escape of the sound outside theedge of the transpicuous material and through the said flange.

2. A signal of the class described including a horn, a shaft in thehorn, a rotor on said shaft, fixed elements disposed about the interiorof the horn, a series of resilient clappers, means securing the clappersat one end to said fixed elements, said clappers presenting free edgeportions engagcable by the rotor for flexing the clappers and beingadapted to react against said elements after flexure by the rotor.

3. A signal of the class described including a horn, a driven shaftapproximately central in the horn, a rotor on said shaft presentinglongitudinal ribs, series of clappers disposed about the rotorandpresenting free ends lying in the path of rotation of the ribs of therotor, and a sound box for each series of clappers, the sound boxespresenting members against which the clappers are adapted to re-actafter engagement by a tooth of the latter.

4. In a signal of the class described, a horn, a driven shaft therein, arotor turn- 5 ing with said shaft, a sound box having openingsestablishing communication between the interior of the sound box and thehorn, and a clapper secured to the said sound box and projecting beyondthe same into the path of movement of the rotor to be engaged 10 andflexed by the latter, the said sound box having a wall adjacent to therotor and pre senting an edge portion against which the clapper re-actsafter flexure by the rotor.

FRED EDWARD FANGER.

